Hay-press power mechanism.



W. W. STOPPLB.

HAY PRESS POWER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914,

4 IIEETS-SHEIIT 1.

q Vibnmou THE NORRIS PErERs CO. PHOTOVLITHOH WASIIINGION, D c.

W. W. STOPPLB. HAY PRESS POWER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914,

4 SHEBTS- SHEET 2.

Witmooow THE NORRIS PE 715515 c0, PHorDLlrl-la, WASHING TON D. C.

W. W. STOPPLE. HAY PRESS POWER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

4 BHBETS-SHEET 3.

o QMHNIIT hm mm Witueooco aftozomqs THE NORRIS PETERS C07. Imam LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. C,

W. W. STOPPLE. HAY PRESS POWER MECHANISM. APPLICATION TILED APR. 10, 1913.

1,106,252, Patented Aug. 4, 1914 4 BHEETB-SHEET 4.

Wa/fer' W HIE NORRIS PE ":Rsco. PIIOlO-LII'MQ, WASHINGTON u. C

ou're srra'rns PATENT orricn.

WALTER W. STOPPLE, OIYALMA, MICHIGAN, ASSIG-NOR TO LITTLE GIANT HAY PRESS COMPANY, OF ALMA, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION.

HAY-PRESS rowan MECHANISM.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER W. S'rorrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alma, in the county of Gratiot and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Press Power Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the fol? lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to hay presses and more particularly to the power mechanism for hay presses, and an object of the invention is to provide such a power mechanism as will require much less power for operating the plunger head than is at present used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single driving member which is adapted to operate both the feeding mechanism and the compressing mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a power wheel having integral there with a cam adapted to operate the plunger head by means of suitable levers and friction members, the cam being so designed as to distribute the compression stroke over a comparatively large part of the power wheel.

With these general objects and such others as will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises certain novel con structions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings where similar reference characters designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a vertical central section through my improved power mechanism showing the plunger head at the outer end of the compression stroke. Fig. 2 is a view similarto Fig. 1, showing the plunger head at the inner end of the compression stroke. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the hay press power mechanism with the power wheel shown in section, the relative positions of the part showt in Fig. 3 agreeing with those shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the power wheel used in my power mechanism. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the power wheel as shown in Fig. l. Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views showing three positions of the cam carried by the power wheel with re- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 10, 1913.

Patented Aug. 4., 1914.

Serial No. 760,294.

speet to the plunger head, these three positions being taken at three positions upon the compression stroke of the plunger head. Fig. 9 is a detail view showing a modified means of guiding the forward end of the draw bar.

As is well known to those who make use of hay presses, the first part of the stroke of the plunger head is used merely to compress a large bulk of hay into a somewhat less volume, this compressing requiring very little power compared with that required in the rest of the stroke. After the hay has been compressed to a certain volume, a further attempt to compress it is accompanied by increased resistance, and it is found that the power required to compress the hay will vary approximately inversely; that is, the further the compression stroke proceeds the more need there is for increased power. The types of hay presses at present in use have the plunger heads thereof connected by means of suitable toggles-to a lever which is pivoted to the power wheel, this power wheel being driven by any suitable prime mover. The speed of the plunger head in these types varies just the same as the speed of the piston of an ordinary engine with re speot to the fly wheel, or any other mechanism where a rotary motion is converted into a linear motion, this arrangement, however, requiring that that part of the compression stroke which requires most power, namely, the end of the stroke, be accomplished in a comparatively short time, or be accomplished in a comparatively small part of the revolution of the driven member. Inasmuch. as the space passed over in doing this work is comparatively short, the force applied will, of course, have to be relatively large, so that a relatively high power engine is required for such hay presses, a common size of engine being 12 H. P. By means of my improved power mechanism, the part of the compression stroke of the plunger head which requires the most force is distributed over a comparatively large part of the revolution of the drit'en' member, or power wheel. This is accomplished by having rigid with the power wheel a cam adapted to engage a friction member carried by a link or draw bar which is operatively connected to the plunger head through suitable toggle mechanism. The cam is so designed that the greater part of the revolution of the power wheel or approximately two: thirds is devoted to the compression stroke. The cam is also designed so that at that point in the compression stroke where the most power is required, the forward thrust of the plunger head will move with a velocity having a negative acceleration, or with a constantly lessening speed. This produces just the result desired, insomuch as the increased demand for force or pressure against the hay is accompanied by a reduced space passed over per unit of time, so that the same time from the power wheel will be sufficient to carry to a completion the compressing stroke.

In order that the application of my invention to a hay press may be understood 1 am describing a specific embodiment of the invention by means of the accompanying drawings. Having reference particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the hay press frame 1 is made of two parallel bars running the length of the hay press, these bars being made of rolled channel iron, and suitably connected to end cross bars. The particular construction of frame is of no importance, the only necessity being that the frame shall be rigid enough to stand the strains necessary for the forcing of the plunger head at the end of the compression stroke. A shaft 2 suitably journaled in the frame is adapted to be driven from any suitable source, this source preferably, hough not necessarily, being a gas engine carried on the forward end of the hay press (not shown). The outer end of the shaft 2 is provided with an ordinary fly wheel 3 for steadying the motion of the shaft, and the inner part of the shaft is provided with a pinion 4. A second shaft 5 also mounted upon the frame 1 carries a gear wheel 6 which engages the pair of pinions 4. Keyed to the shaft 5 and moving with the gear wheel 6 is a pair of sprocket wheels 7, which are adapted to drive chains 8 in the direc tion indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. The mechanism thus far described is simply one of many mechanisms which can be resorted to to impart motion to chains 8, and 1 do not wish to be limited to this particular construction. It is understood that the showing in Figs. 1 and 2 is taken through the central part of the machine and that one-half of the operating mechanism set in motion by the gear wheel 6 is shown in these figures.

A shaft 9 rotatably mounted in journals suitably secured to the frame 1 carries a driven or power wheel 10. This wheel 10 has integral. therewith a face cam 11 and a slotted cam 12. The cam 11 is engaged by a friction roller or other friction member 13,

the friction member 18 being carried by a draw bar 14, the outer end of which is guided by rollers 15 and guide bars 15 to prevent lateral movement of the draw bar, these rollers and guide bars being carried by the forward end of the power mechanism frame. While these rollers 15 have been shown, yet I do not wish to be limited to that construction, as other means for accomplishing the same result can be used, such as for instance, the slotted roller 15 shown in Fig. 9. This roller 15 may be suitably journaled in the frame and has therethrough a slot dimensioned to receive the draw bar 14:, so that as the draw bar moves angularly with respect to the frame this motion could be accompanied by the slot in the roller and the bearings of the roller. The inner end of draw bar 141- is pivoted to one arm of a rocker arm 16, which ispivotally mounted as at 17 to the frame 1. The rocker arm 16 is pivotally connected to a suitable plunger head 19. The rocker arm 16 and the link 18 are so proportioned that they form practically a straight line when the plunger head is in the outer position of the compression stroke. Pivoted to one arm of the rocker arm 16 is a link 20, which has interposed between its ends a spring 21 for the purpose of taking up jarring. The lower end of this link is pivoted to an arm 22, pivoted as at 23 to the frame, the arm 22 having rotatably mounted thereon a pair of rollers 2a which are in the path of the face cam 11.

Pivoted as at 25 is an arm 26 carrying a roller 27 which is received by the slotted cam 12, the free end of the arm 26 being connected with a feeder actuating bar 28, the upper end of which carries an upright 30 pivotally connected to the lower of the feeder bars 82, which feeder bars are pivotally connected to a frame 33 and are con nected together by the link 29. A spring 20 is employed to assist the action of the feeder, as is well known. The feeder plunger 33 as shown in Fig. 2 is pivoted to the plunger bars 32, and is adapted, as in the common hay presses, to force the hay into the compressing compartment when the plunger head is drawn back to the inner position as shown. in Fig. 2. As shown more particularly in Fig. the slotted cam 12 is oval, considerably more than one-half of the cam being practicallv semi-circular. The operating point 34 of this cam 12 lies within an angle of about 120 drawn from the center of the shaft 9, so that the roller 27 remains practically stationary except for about one-third of the revolution of the wheel 10, but during this onethird of a revolution the apeX 3 1 of the cam will elevate the roller 27 and the outer end of the bar 26 and operate the feeder.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4:

and 5 it will be seen that the face 35 of the cam 11 is eccentric with respect to the shaft 9 and that the apex 36 lies approximately at a point diametrically opposite from the apex of the slotted cam 12. The upper end of the cam face 35 is so designed that for each successive unit of angle through which the cam turns, the roller 13 will be moved outwardly from the shaft 9 a distance less than the position corresponding to the preceding angular movement, or it may be said that the cam is so designed as to move the roller 13 outwardly with a negative acceleration, insomuch as the successive space is passed over by the roller in each unit of time it decreases. As before stated, this part of thecam which imparts a movement to the roller having a negative acceleration is adapted to engage'the roller when the plunger head is approaching the outer end of the compression stroke, it being obvious that as increased pressure is required as the plunger nears the end of the stroke, a reduced speed of the plunger head will enable the same power in the engine to complete the stroke. There are several ways in which this cam may be laid out and it is not deemed necessary that any particular method be described herein. That part of the face adjacent the apex 36 does not follow the construction of the rest of the cam, but is designed to move the roller so that the plunger head will move upwardly with a uniform velocity, the plunger head in actual practice moving in a space of about two inches at the end of the compression stroke, due to this formation of the cam face adjacent the apex 36. From this construction of the cam wheel it will be seen that the roller is actuated in such a way that the plunger head first moves from its inner posi tion forwardly with a comparatively high velocity, this velocity being negatively accelerated up to a point where it is desired to give the plunger head a uniform velocity, from which point the cam acts upon the roller 13 in such a Way as to give the requisite uniform velocity. The face 37 of the cam 11 is provided for preventing the reaction of the compressed hay from suddenly thrusting the rocker arm 16 backwardly, insomuch as the roller 13 is required to move over the surface 37 during an appreciable interval of time, through which the reaction may be distributed. 1

The operation of this power mechanism will be best understood by referring to Figs. 6, 7, and 8, which show diagrammatically the progress of the stroke from inner position to outer position. Byreferring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the apex 36 of cam 11. is engaging the roller 24: carried by the triangular arm 22. When the cam 11 is in the particular position shown with respect to the roller 24, the link 20 will be constrained to move downwardly to the limit of its position and carry therewith the rocker arm 16. The rocker arm, being pivotally connected to the draw bar lt and link 18 respectively, will move the said members in the position shown in Fig. (5, it being noticed that the roller 13 is now in its extreme left hand position. The rollers 15 engage the free end of the draw bar in all of its different move ments. The showing in Fig. 7 indicates that the cam 11 has rotated in the direction indicated and has released the roller 21, but at the same time has engaged roller 13. Insomuch as the rollers 15 guide the forward end. of the draw bar-14; and also insomuch as the rocker arm 16 is pivoted to the frame and pivoted to the draw bar 14, a further rotation of the cam will force the roller 13 upwardly and carry with it the draw bar 14, until the rocker arm and draw bar assume some intermediate position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. This produces a forward movement of the draw bar 14; which con tinues until the roller 13 is in its extreme outer position as shown in Fig. 8. As the cam 11 continues to turn to the position shown in Fig. 8, the same engages the roller 2% and causes the return of the rocker arm and associated mechanism to the position shown. in Fig. (i. The return of the rocker arm from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the position shown in Fig. 6 is accomplished through approximately one-sixth of the revolution of the power wheel.

From this description of the operation and from what has preceded it, it will be seen that approximately one-sixth of the revolution of the power wheel. is used to return the plimger head from extreme outer position to extreme inner position and another sixth is utilized in forcing the hay to be pressed into the compression chamber and that the remaining two-thirds of the stroke is made use of in compressing the hay. It will be noted that a considerable part of the remaining two-thirds of the rotation of the cam wheel is devoted to the compression of the hay, after the same has been partly compressed. The first part of the compression of the hay takes place between the position shownin Fig. (3 and the intermediate dotted position shown in Fig. 7. During this first part of the revolution the roller 13 is carried by the straight face 38 of cam 11, and observations of the working machine show that roller 13 remains at practically the same position on the face 38.

lVhile it has been stated that approximately two-thirds of the revolution is utilized in compressing the hay and that the remaining one-third is utilized in restoring the mechanism to a position ready for another compression stroke, yet I do not wish to be limited in any way by these particular figures, insomuch as future applications of the invention to different types of presses may show that it would be desirable to use slightly different proportions.

The word acceleration used herein means time rate of velocity change.

I claim 1. In a hay press power mechanism, a driving cam wheel, a roller engaging the cam wheel, a pivoted member adapted to move with the roller, a pivoted rocker arm pivoted at one end to the pivoted member, and a plunger head operatively connected to the other end of the rocker arm.

2. In a hay press power mechanism, a driving cam wheel, a roller engaging the cam wheel, a draw bar supporting the roller, a rocker arm one end of which is connected to the draw bar, a plunger head, and means connecting the other end of the rocker arm to the plunger head.

3. In a hay press power mechanism, a driven cam wheel, a roller engaging the cam wheel, a draw bar supporting the roller,

means for guiding one end of the draw bar,

the draw bar adapted to swing about the guide means as a pivot, and a plunger head operatively connected to the Other end of the draw bar.

4c. In a hay press power mechanism, a driving cam wheel, a roller engaging the cam wheel, a draw bar supporting the roller, fixed means engaging the draw bar and adapted to guide the draw bar, and a plunger head operatively connected to the draw bar, the draw bar adapted to swing about the guide as a pivot.

5. In a hay press power mechanism, a driving cam wheel, a roller engaging the cam wheel, a draw bar supporting the roller, a plunger head operatively connected to the draw bar, and means for guiding the draw bar, said means acting as a center about which the bar oscillates under the action of the cam and roller.

6. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a roller, meanssupporting the roller, and operatively connected to the plunger head, and a rotatably mounted cam wheel engaging the roller, part of the working face of the cam driving theroller with a negative acceleration, and the remainder of the working face driving the roller with a uniform velocity.

7. In a hay press, a plunger head, and a driven cam adapted to drive the head with a negatively accelerating velocity the acceleration of which velocity reduces to zero before the stroke is complete.

8. In a hay press, a plunger head, and a driven cam adapted to drive the plunger head with a varying velocity during part of the stroke and with a uniform velocity during the remainder of the stroke.

9. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a rocker arm operatively connected to the plunger head, a driven cam wheel, a draw bar connected to one end of the rocker arm, a roller mounted on the rocker arm and adapted to engage the cam wheel, and a second roller adapted to engage the cam wheel, and a link carrying the second roller and pivoted to the other end of the rocker arm, the cam wheel actuating the second roller after the first mentioned roller has passed off the cam wheel to return the first mentioned roller to operating position.

10. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a driven cam wheel, a pivotally mounted roller adapted to engage the cam wheel through approximately twothirds of the revolution of the latter, the said roller adapted to move the plunger head in one direction, and a second pivotally mounted roller adapted to move the plunger in the other direction, the second roller adapted to engage the cam wheel through approximately one sixth of the revolution .of the cam wheel.

11. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a driven cam wheel, a rocker arm operatively connected to the plunger head, a roller adapted to engage the cam wheel, means for moving one end of the rocker arm with the roller, a second roller adapted to engage the cam wheel, and means for moving the other end of the rocker arm with the second mentioned roller.

12. In a hay press power mechanism, a power wheel, a cam integral with the wheel, a plunger head, means actuated by the cam for operating the plunger head, said means being actuated during approximately twothirds of the revolution of the wheel, a second cam integral with the wheel, a feeder mechanism, and means actuated by the second cam for operating the feeder mechanism, a portionof the feeder adapted to move into the path of the plunger, the second mentioned means being actuated during approximately one-third of the revolution of the wheel, said means being actuated one at a time.

13. In a hay press power mechanism, a driven wheel, provided with a slotted cam, a roller engaging the cam, a link pivoted at one end and carrying the roller, and a feeder mechanism operatively connected to the link.

14. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a driven cam, and friction means engaging the cam and operatively connected to the plunger head, said cam adapted to drive the friction means on the compression stroke with a diminishing velocity, the acceleration of which does not change in algebraic sign throughout the stroke.

15. In a hay press power mechanism, a

plunger head, a driven cam, and friction means engaging the cam and operatively connected to the plunger head, said cam adapted to drive the friction means on the compression stroke, with a diminishing velocity the acceleration of which is reduced to zero before the stroke is complete.

16. In a hay press power mechanism, a plunger head, a driven cam, and a friction member engaging the cam and operatively connected to the plunger head, said cam adapted to drive the friction means on the compression stroke with a varying velocity, the velocity throughout the greater portion of the stroke being negatively accelerated.

17. A hay press power meclnmism, comprising a driven cam, a plunger head and means ope atively connecting the cam to the plunger head, said cam driving the plunger head with a negatively accelerating velocity, the acceleration being maximum at the start of the compression stroke and reduced to Zero before the stroke is completed.

18. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a driven cam, a plunger head operatively connected to the cam, said cam adapted to drive the plunger head with a velocity having a negative acceleration at the beginning of the compression stroke and not changing in algebraic sign throughout the stroke.

19. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, a draw bar pivotally connected to the other side of the rocker arm, friction means carried by the draw bar, and rotatable cam means adapted to engage the friction means.

20. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, a draw bar pivotally connected to the other side of the rocker arm, means for guiding the draw bar, and means for reciprocating said draw bar.

21. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, and means for oscillating the rocker arm, said means adapted to oscillate the bar from one extreme position to the other with a negatively accelerated velocity.

22. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head, a link pivotally connected to the plunger head and to one side of the rocker arm, a draw bar pivotally connected to the other side of the rocker arm, means for reciprocating the draw bar, said link and the side of the rocker arm to which said link is connected adapted to aline at the end of the compres sion stroke.

28. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, a draw bar pivotally connected to the other side of the rocker arm, friction means carried by the draw bar, a cam rotatably mounted adapted to engage the friction means to move the draw bar in one direction, and a second means operatively connected to the rocker arm adapted to engage the said cam to move the draw bar in the opposite direction.

24. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head pivotally connected to one side of the rocker arm, a rotatably mounted cam, means interposed between the cam and the other side of the rocker arm adapted to oscillate said rocker arm in one direction, and auxiliary means operatively connected to the rocker arm adapted to engage the cam to oscillate the rocker arm in the opposite direction.

25. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rotatably mounted arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, a rotatably mounted cam, friction means operatively connected to the other side of the rocker arm adapted to engage the cam, and auxiliary friction means spaced from the first mentioned friction means adapted to engage said cam, the first friction means adapted to swing the arm in one direction, and means interposed between the second friction means and the rocker arm adapted to swing the latter in the opposite direction.

26. A hay press power mechanism, comprising a rocker arm, a plunger head operatively connected to one side of the rocker arm, a cam rotatably mounted, friction means operatively connected to the other side of the rocker arm and adapted to en gage the cam, to rotate the rocker arm in one direction, auxiliary friction means operatively connected to the rocker arm and adapted to engage the cam to oscillate the rocker arm in the opposite direction, said cam adapted to drive the friction means at different times, driving each with a negatively accelerating velocity.

27. In a hay press, a power wheel, a feeder mechanism, a cam on the power wheel adapted to operate the feeder mechanism, a plunger, a second cam on the power wheel adapted to actuate the plunger, means for withdrawing the plunger, means operatively connected with said withdrawing means adapted to engage the second mentioned cam, said last mentioned cam withdrawing the plunger before the first mentioned cam operates the feeder mechanism.

28. In a hay press, a rotatably mounted cam, a rocker arm operatively connected to the plunger head, a draw bar pivotally connected to the rocker arm, friction means carried by the draw bar adapted to engage the cam, to oscillate the draw bar in one direction, and auxiliary friction iso means adapted to engage the earn, the auxilia-ry friction means being operatively connected to the rocker arm and adapted to oscillate the rocker arm in the opposite direction, the angular distance between the auxiliary friction member and the first mentioned friction member When the plunger is at the end of its compression stroke being 60 with respect to the axis of rotation of the cam. 10

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

'WALTER W. STOPPLE. Witnesses HOWARD O. RICHARDSON, FRANK XV. RUGoLEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U. 

